


Day Shift At Freddy's

by ThatcherxMute



Category: Five Nights at Freddy's
Genre: M/M, Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:40:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25781509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatcherxMute/pseuds/ThatcherxMute
Summary: Jeremy's past wasn't an easy one to relive. Rumours spread like wildfire about his father, especially once the man was given life in prison; a rare occasion in the small town where he was born. His mother knew of all the years of abuse, but she did nothing as he grew older. Eventually, fate caught up with his father, but his mother escaped; he still doesn't know where she is and doesn't want to know. All he wanted was a fresh start. All the pitying eyes, and the whisperings any time he'd enter a room made him tired. All he wanted was peace. Instead, he was known as "The Prisoner's Child," or "The Abused." It made him cringe, although he understood the stranger's point of view. Honestly, all he wanted was freedom. He craved to forget the past. So, he did. He left his small town late at night so no one would question him, and walked into the only direction he knew: North; where the City was... Where freedom was.
Kudos: 8





	Day Shift At Freddy's

Snow danced in the manufactured light, a choreographed ballet conducted by the gentle wind. The faint glow given off from the lamp posts that were sparsely spread along the street did nothing to give warmth or even decent vision for drivers and pedestrians alike. Not that it mattered much, since the roads were frozen. His breath paled against the numbing air, and he blinked thoughtfully as the frost patiently kissed his face, captivated by the soft, dusty illusions of light that sat on his eyelashes. He exhaled slowly, watching as his breath danced before him; the coldness made him able to see the warm air before it eventually disappeared. He wasn't focused on his breathing, however. Slumped over on the park's bench, blankly staring ahead as he inhaled, he noted that the trees before him were as lifeless as himself. The abandoned park had no noise, not even the crunch of a leaf. He pretended that he hadn't noticed the dirty needle laying a few feet away from him.

  
It was dark outside. Only growing darker by the hour. Light pollution clouded the stars above, and even the moon couldn't break the cloudiness. A dark shadow projected over the young adult, and he rubbed his face as he finally snapped out of whatever trance he was in. He rose to his feet.

  
On this harsh winter night, the man had no home to return to. No place to go; no warm meal in his belly, no gentle words or smile thrown his way. He didn't care. In fact, he'd rather be in the snow that seemed peaceful but was silently deadly than be at "home."

  
He shuffled his way around the city's snow-covered concrete sidewalks, unsure of what to do or where to go. He was homeless and jobless. He was too old for school but too young to drink or spend all his night at a club. He knew one area that he'd never return; his neighbourhood. At least he put a large amount of distance between himself and his small home town, and he hopes to keep it that way. If he even lived that long. He might not if he doesn't get any food in his system soon. Of course, it wouldn't matter if he froze to death first. His face, mostly his nose and the tips of his reddened ears, were already numb. His lips were purple-tinted; his once beautiful, bright chartreuse green orbs were nothing more than a dull forest colour.

  
As he wandered, he came across multiple closed stores and "entertainment" places. Some motels and apartments had lights on, but didn't seem very appealing from the cracked sidewalks and worn down appearances. Something screamed at him to stay away from the shady looking areas, especially now, although he only had 5 dollars to his name. He moved on, but the further he walked down the empty street, the more it looked appeasing for him to return to the park and succumb to the cold. Unfortunately, fate had other plans for him tonight, and as he continued, he found himself walking to the better side of the city. The type of part that didn't reek of death, but stuck up parents and spoiled children, along with struggling college students and best of all: freedom. Nearby was the upper part of town, something he desperately wanted to avoid just by the sheer sight of it. Those people probably haven't had any struggles in their life.

  
He frowned to himself. He promised he wouldn't allow himself to pass judgement on others simply because they were better off. He continued, only to pause in front of a tacky, yet popular children's "restaurant" that caught his eye from his peripheral vision. Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, the name read, bolded and coloured from shades of red to orange. He didn't know why the name stuck in his skull as he took a step away to get a better look. Four, only what he could assume were characters, stared with smiles at the street. There was a bear, a fox, a chicken, and a bunny. Something seemed very familiar about them, but he couldn't think of what; he'd never seen this place before in his life. Maybe he was losing his mind.

  
Silently, he forced himself to look away; to walk away from the building calling for his attention. That was until he noticed the "Help Wanted" page smacked centre on the glass. His eyes glanced down from the red, bolded letters, and he noticed they were paying well above minimum wage. "Day staff, eh?" He said aloud to no one in particular. As he continued reading, slightly hunched over, he noticed it didn't detail what the worker would be forced to do. But, he didn't think it could be so bad, since it was a kid's place after all. There were no other details given, other than a small note saying to speak to the manager about the job. He looked at the opening hours. 11 am to 9 pm; differing for Friday and Saturday, of course, but the time slightly confused him. Who wanted to bring their kid to a place like this at 11 am? Regardless, the pay seemed well enough. All he would have to do is wait for it to open, and then actually apply and hopefully get accepted.

  
He doesn't have a phone or any identification other than his old driver's license, but he doubted they would need anything like a birth certificate for something as lousy as this. Then again, IT WAS A KID'S place, so he had no idea what to expect. What if they did a thorough background check? The thought made him nauseous, but he ignored it in turn for scouting the neighbourhood out. He could only pray that this area was better than where he came from. It certainly looked more pleasant, but looks could be deceiving.

As he thought of ways he could pass the time, he didn't notice the man inside the building, out of his line of sight, but close enough for the stranger to see almost every detail of him safely from the inside.

  
Dawn came sooner than later, and red broke across the sky, piercing the darkness away. Blue, mixed in with yellow, and accompanied by the many shades of pink and even purple took over the atmosphere. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, but if one looked hard enough, they could still see the fuzziness of the moon on the other side of the atmosphere. He found that he couldn't look away until the sun finally broke the peaceful scene, and blue finally won the war against the other colours.

  
As the sun kissed the Earth, the snow melted, and his temperature rose; even if it was slightly. He wore a green sweater that was slightly too large on him and went past his fingertips. An old, tattered, black scarf sat on his neck, covering his mouth and the tip of his nose. And a pair of worn jeans that did nothing against the cold, sported by his best pair of boots, steel-toed and dirty. By the time the sun finally submerged, his clothes were soaking wet and freezing.

  
Time flew by, faster than he was thinking, and soon he saw a joyous man in front of Freddy's glass doors, keys in hand and a gentle, warm smile on his face. The stranger had an aura of calmness, and it spread across him before he even realized its cause. A small smile graced his own face, and his cheeks reddened when he noticed he got caught staring. The heavy man approached him without hesitation but made sure he didn't come off as intimidating for the younger, blushing one.

  
"I couldn't help but noticing your staring, young man. You should know that comes off as rude for someone as old as me," the stranger started, and the other could feel his jaw drop in shock. There was no introduction; in fact, the larger man who had a slight accent seemed like he was about to scold the young, staring man.

  
He tried to hold it in, really, but a chuckle slipped past his purple-tinted lips before he could help it. Now that the stranger was closer, he could see both the concern on the man's face and the wrinkles in the corners of his eyes, undoubtedly from constant smiling. "I'm sorry, sir, I didn't mean to stare. I was just interested in the new position offered there, and I saw you open the restaurant. I swear I was going to approach you! You know, after a few families went inside and stuff..." He trailed off, ranting for a moment. These kinds of confrontations found him a lot since he wasn't a social person; he got distracted easily is all, and that led to staring a lot.

The man, instead of being offended by his random laughter, joined in for a short moment; it only made the younger one feel safer. Eventually, once he had comprehended all of what the young one had thrown at him, he straightened his spine and offered a thoughtful expression. "I'm in charge of hiring newbies, kid. And if you're truly interested in being the face of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, then follow me inside. If not, I won't take it to heart. Just stay out of trouble, okay?" The older man turned on his heel and entered the building, leaving the young man alone by himself outside in the cold with a burning feeling in his chest. Hope. He could almost ignore the fact that he got called a kid despite his twentieth birthday coming up in a few months.

It didn't take long for him to follow the stranger, his hopefully-soon-to-be new boss inside. The moment he stepped foot inside, he could feel the temperature change immediately, because the previous parts of his body that were numb were tingling already. It surprised him, but he didn't show anything on his face, nor make any sound. He could feel the dampness of his clothes now, and he was slightly embarrassed as he had no clue what he looked like to the other man. His hair was hugging his freckled face, and he begged to whatever deities that he at least resembled presentability, despite the grime on his pale skin and the dark bags under his dulled eyes.

Two other men were already waiting inside the building, one wearing all purple and a tired expression; despite the smile on his face, and the other had a more "normal" appearance, other than his annoyed appearance. The man in purple wasted no time in pointing out the younger person.

  
"Heyy, kid, you look a little lost. Do ya need help? Did ol' Scotty getcha?" The purple guy's white, perfect smile widened at the sight of the younger man. But, he didn't respond to the creepy man. He didn't even blink as his attention shifted to the one he called "Scotty."

There was a pause in the room, before the man standing by the one dressed in purple burst out with uncontrollable laughter. "H- he didn't even--" Stuttering through his laughter, the annoyed man, his name tag read: Mike, offered the young one a more polite greeting, once he caught his breath. "Hey, it's nice to meet you. I'm Mike. That's Dave, don't mind him, and I'm assuming you met Scott here to talk about the job opening?"

At first, he didn't answer the question, but then he slowly nodded. He could at least be courteous to the one who didn't refer to him as a child or treated him as such. He picked up on the whispered words, "Rude little tyke, ain'tcha?" from Dave, but ignored it.

Scott was quiet for all up until this point, and he asked, no amusement in his tone or expression, "Did they..?"  
He could only assume they were speaking of something only an insider would know of, and the quiet response that Mike gave to Scott was something that even he couldn't pick up on.

Almost as quickly as the strangeness came, it went, and the three of them looked right at him, taking in his rugged appearance. The oversized, worn down clothes, the wetness, the red face and purple-tinted skin-- it was clear that he hasn't had a good meal or hot shower in days. If not weeks.

Eventually, Scott spoke up again. "Well, Mike, you can leave. I'm sure you've had a busy night."

"Of course. And, uh, if this newbie gets hired, I wouldn't mind putting in some extra hours to help training him." Mike said, giving one last glance at the animatronics that he had yet to notice. Before Mike left, he bid farewell to everyone, including the young one.

"Well, we best be getting this interview completed. Follow me, I'll show you my office. Dave, you can tag along if you want," Scott walked away, naturally assuming that the two of them were following shortly behind. They were, but not before glancing each other up and down; the one in purple, Dave, offered an almost predatory smile while the unnamed, younger adult skipped away, glad to not be left alone with the perverted, skinny, pale man.

After a short walk, they reached their destination, but he took note of his surroundings this time; the strange stains in the multicoloured carpet and the many posters of the animatronics along the walls were odd to see, but expected. There were also childish drawings of the characters, some better than others. Accompanying this new information was a retched stench, something that he'd only smelled once before at his old high school. It could only be described as a mixture of body odour and a half-assed attempt of perfume. He cringed, burying his face in his scarf for a moment. He almost ran straight into Scott for it, and Dave was directly behind him, still wearing that smile that made him have goosebumps along his arms and legs although he was much warmer than he was mere minutes before.

Soon, Scott was behind his big, mahogany desk, sitting comfortably in his chair with the younger one sitting straight up, stiffened. Dave wore a bored expression while lounging in his own chair beside the nervous man.

"Quit yer worryin' ya little tyke. I'm sure that'll be over in five minutes." Dave noticed the worry on the young man's face and offered what he considered words of encouragement.

Scott was too busy shuffling around with different types of papers to notice, and he eventually pulled out a manila folder. He cleared his throat, starting. "Well, we can begin this with a name. I'm Scott, obviously. You don't have to call me Mister or anything. 'Sir,' will work fine for now."

Beside him, Dave rolled his eyes.

"Or ya can call 'em Scotty. Trust me, man doesn't care about anythin', so long as the work's done by the end of the night." Dave whispered though it was clear Scott heard every word.

Dave offered a cheeky grin, and Scott kept his annoyance off his face for the sake of the new kid.

"What's your name? Full legal name, I mean." Scott continued as if he wasn't interrupted in the first place.

Nervously, he rubbed the sweat off his palms and on his jeans as he looked just above Scott as he said his name. "Jeremy Fitzgerald."

Another pause and the only sound Jeremy could hear was the scratching of a pen on paper, and the sound of his own heartbeat thumping in his ears. He didn't look at either

Dave or Scott for a moment until Scott continued his questioning, thankfully not bringing up his name again.

After a few more questions, it started getting personal.

"How old are you, and when's your birthday?" Scott inquired. Dave finally looked up from whatever he was doing to hear the answer.

"Uh, nineteen and doyoureallyneedallthisinformation?" Jeremy spat out quickly, a small blush on his face as he fidgeted with the ends of his sleeves. A nervous tic he had.

"I suppose not," Scott said, tapping his chin for a moment before sliding a sheet of paper over to Jeremy. "I need you to sign here and to read the fine print before doing so. If you need anything explained or have any questions, feel free to do so now." Scott had the same warm smile he did the first time Jeremy saw him, and he nodded before picking up the pen. It was easy for him to read through the information. As he glimpsed over the worker's comp and in case of injury details, however, he felt worry settle in the pit of his stomach. Worry as in, he didn't want to recall an entire day if he simply tripped and broke a bone. Although it was also reassuring that the company did care about the health of their workers. Once Jeremy finished and signed, Scott took the sheet away and began organizing other things.

Dave captured his attention again, although the other didn't even speak this time, he could tell the man wanted to say something to him. Then, Jeremy realized that if he was signing paperwork, then he nailed the job! Jeremy gave himself a fist pump mentally, making sure nothing bubbled to the surface as it usually did with him. He felt a shiver go down his spine, and his eyes returned to Dave's steely, cold, almost silvery ones.

Scott coughed to gather Jeremy's attention, tearing the young man's focus away from the strange staring contest that was happening. "I'm going to need your clothing sizes and the earliest you can begin working. We can hash out hours and fine details like that when you-"

Jeremy cut Scott off with a loud, "I can start now!"

It was still.

Then, Jeremy's face flushed red, and he apologized profusely for interrupting Scott, but the latter didn't seem to mind all that much. In fact, he had that same warm smile gracing his features.

"It's fine, Jeremy." Scott also had a slight accent when saying his name, and the younger one finally calmed down. He was still sitting straight up, but he was no longer fidgeting or sweating. "And I'm glad you can start right away. Without you, we would've been short-staffed for the day."

Questions ran through Jeremy's skull, quicker than he could comprehend himself, and he found himself asking before he could hold his tongue, "Don't you need to do a background check or something before I start?"

Suddenly, the man's demeanour took a complete 180, and he seemed almost insulted by the words, although they made sense since they were working with children. "Jeremy, I don't believe... Uh, no. At least, you don't need one." He changed his wording not to scare off the younger man. He recognized the younger man the moment he stated his name. He wouldn't say his foundings aloud yet, especially if the rumours were true.

"Why's that?" Jeremy pushed on, curious as all hell.

Before an excuse could be spat out, Dave stood, cracking his spine and multiple other bones. The pale man calmly placed his palms on the surface of the desk, ignoring Jeremy and his ramblings.

"We're about to open. Didja want me to show the kid 'round?" The words were simple enough, an offering to show around the new guy, but Jeremy could only feel dread pooling into his stomach. There was something off about "Dave," he just wasn't sure what. Maybe it had something to do with the strange, mirrored scars the man had on the back of his neck-- they were ugly and white and looked like they told a gruesome story.

"That's fine with me. Uh, get Jeremy a uniform from the back once you're finished, and..." Scott trailed off, rubbing his chin in deep thought. "Have him shadow you today."  
With that said, Dave was dragging Jeremy out of the room by the wrist, and despite the sickly look that the man had, he was robust with an impossible-to-escape grip.  
In an instant, Jeremy could feel the temperature around him change, and he had goosebumps crawling on his skin again. He cleared his throat, fully intending on making small talk with his new co-worker, but before he could even start, the man was showing him the "Main Room."

"This is where the animatronics are, though we're about to get some new ones soon. Here's where the little tykes gotta stay, other than goin' to the bathroom over there," Dave pointed to the bathrooms with disinterest, and his eyes seemed bore into Jeremy's soul with harsh judgement. Dave's smile never wavered as he explained every room in great detail, including the nauseous-inducing kitchen.

The last room was in the back, where Dave measured Jeremy and gave him his new uniform, though the clothes themselves seemed several years old.

"You can change in here. I'll look away and everything," Dave said, completely calm, although Jeremy was the exact opposite. His face stained red and his hands were clammy around the white button-up shirt that he was given.

True to his word, Dave turned around. Jeremy, not taking in the details surrounding him, changed into the new clothing as quickly as he could. The shirt was nice-fitting, and the pants hugged all the right curves. He wasn't given a new pair of shoes, so he assumed his boots were okay. On the table in front of him was a blank name tag and a marker, and Jeremy wrote his name hesitantly.

Little did Jeremy know, Dave was sneaking glances the entire time, but didn't say anything and waited for Jeremy's awkward tap to finally face him.

"Ah, you're wearin' the badge wrong, but don't worry, kid, ya look great." Dave winked and fixed up Jeremy's sloppy work.  
Jeremy, speechless, said nothing as Dave finished the lookup with a nice-looking green vest, and without asking, pinned the name tag on in the correct place.

Dave's hands lingered longer than they should have, and Dave shot a predatory glance before finally giving the nineteen-year-old his space.

"So, what do we do... first..?" Jeremy's confused tone said all, and Dave openly snickered.

"Ya have no idea what this job is, do ya?" Dave stuffed his hands into his pocket, trying (and failing) to come off as easy-going.

"Uh," Jeremy took a deep breath, then admitted the truth. "Nope." That got another snicker from Dave, who looked more approachable than before. At least, that was before the unnerving smile returned, and his steely eyes focused on Jeremy.

"It's pretty simple, kid. We'll be servin' food, helpin' kids if they get confused or lost, and keepin' an eye on the stage, so no one climbs up or anythin'. And don't forget, we gotta keep a smile on our faces the entire time or someone might complain to ol' Scotty back there. Trust me, ya don't want that." Dave's explanation made Jeremy wonder what he signed up for.

"But, since you're also ghosting me, you'll get an insight into how the animatronics work. Ya know since I gotta check 'em in the mornin's. Oh, and I work a looong shift, so thank Scotty that yer gonna be here with me for the entire day." Jeremy grimaced at Dave's words, unsure what to say. Thankfully, Dave wasn't expecting a response as he grabbed Jeremy's wrist and led him to the front of the stage.

At first, they did nothing. Dave just kept Jeremy still while he watched the animatronics do their animations without any speaking. He didn't say a word to Jeremy until they were watching the same animations for the fifth time.

"Alroight. I was checkin' those actions they do. They needa be smooth, ya know, no twitchin' or squeakin' noises. If somethings faulty with the wirin' or programmin', I'd have to fix before we open." Dave's voice was low as he spoke, and Jeremy hadn't noticed when, but the man's fingers slipped down from Jeremy's wrist to his hand. They watched the movements again. "Ya also gotta see for their blinkin' and the small tics they do. Tha's why we gotta see it so many times."

Jeremy subconsciously held Dave's hand as he watched, but he wasn't sure what Dave was saying-- sure, he did, but he didn't truly understand the man's obsession with everything being perfect. He thought the animatronics were moving just fine. Maybe he didn't scrutinize enough, but he didn't want to, either.

"Stay here," Dave commanded, letting go of Jeremy's hand to enter a room that Jeremy hadn't even noticed before the door opened. He didn't know what Dave did, but when he re-emerged, he was mumbling about Freddy's blink speed and other small details that Jeremy hadn't noticed before, although Dave was speaking about them the entire time.

"Are you-" Jeremy cut himself off, swallowing when Dave's rambling ended the instant he spoke. Those steely eyes bore right into his own, and he physically shrank.

"Am I...?" Dave prompted, gesturing for Jeremy to continue.

Scott had perfect timing as he entered the main room, where he saw that Dave's attention on Jeremy and not the animatronics, as he usually did during the mornings.

"That uniform suits you," Scott said with a smile on his face as he recognized the unintentional pun.

Both Dave and Jeremy groaned, and Scott made his way to the two of them. "The other staff are gonna be coming in, so you might want to hurry the tour up before it starts getting loud."

Scott offered a gentle smile, then went to start his morning activities of gathering supplies and paperwork. Dave led Jeremy away from the stage and brought him to the kitchen.

"We're meant ta set the tables, and get the party supplies from the back room I showed you earlier," Dave informed, and Jeremy nodded, though he was only half paying attention. He would've sworn he heard something from the corner of the room, and that small distraction made Dave get closer than usual. "Maybe after work, ya could go out with the lads and me."

"Wha-" Jeremy was sharply cut off by Dave.

"We go out every few days. Bonding and all that. Someone is coverin' Mike's shift." Dave went on, then glared at the door with annoyance etched into his expression. The other employees were entering the building; if the loud talking and heavy footsteps were anything to guess by. Not to mention the door creaking open.

Dave, forgetting about their conversation, gathered the plates they were in there for, along with the napkins. But, the two of them couldn't escape unnoticed as someone almost ran smack into Dave. This "someone" must have been one of the cooks if Jeremy had to guess, based off of the stained apron they were wearing, and chef's hat. She was slightly taller than him and had a blush on her face when she realized there were two other people in the room with her. And that she was blocking the door.

"I'm so sorry!" She ducked her head, then moved out-of-the-way. Her baby blue eyes were glistening with a film of water.

"It's no problem," Jeremy assured, offering a small smile; Dave had the opposite thoughts running through his head as he gazed harshly at her, leaving without a word.

"Hey, you're new, right?" She asked quietly, glancing every few seconds at Dave, who was starting to set the tables while Jeremy stood next to the woman who had yet to enter the kitchen. "My name is Alissa," she introduced, tucking in a loose strand of her hair.

"Yeah, uh, I'm Jeremy... Oh, you could probably tell by my name tag-" Jeremy awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck; he was still as shy as he was before.

It was quiet between the two of them for a moment.

"Well, hopefully, I'll see you around more often, Jeremy!" She beamed at him, her smile a bright white before she turned on her heel and went into the kitchen. It didn't take long for the greasy smell of pizza to start wafting throughout the building. In that time, Jeremy pulled himself together and went to Dave's side, and with the two of them at work, they efficiently set the tables up.

"Go get the balloons from the back, I gotta catch up with Scott for a second." For some reason, Dave's serious tone made Jeremy feel a spike of fear travel down his spine, though he only nodded and travelled to the back room, glancing at the animatronics on his way there. They were staring straight ahead still, but Jeremy sensed something off about them. That's why they were more than likely replaceable for the company.

Jeremy took an embarrassingly long amount of time to find what he was searching for. He kept getting distracted by the replacement heads that were on the shelves of the room. And the mechanical bits that were lying about. Jeremy, party supplies in hand, began to leave the room before he caught a whiff of something... Horrid. He didn't know what caused the smell, but he gagged. Tears gathered in his eyes, but instead of leaving and going back to his job, he poked around the room longer. He needed to know what that smell was.

Dave came in minutes later, finding Jeremy looking inside the different heads of the animatronics. The supplies were laying uselessly on the table, and he didn't even seem to notice Dave until the older man coughed. "What're ya up to, kiddo?"

Jeremy froze, then slowly turned around. His face resembled that of a deer caught in the headlights; his eyes wide, and his mouth agape. Dave kept the amusement off his face as Jeremy recomposed himself.

"Nothing!" Jeremy shouted a little too loudly. "I just smelled something really... bad. I was trying to find out what it was so it didn't spread to the rest of the pla..c..e.."

Jeremy wasn't cut off this time. He just naturally let his sentence end when he caught a glimpse of Dave's expression.

The man snaked his way over to Jeremy's side and wrapped an arm around the younger one's waist. "Heyy, how about we get back to work instead of worryin' about these things?" Dave's eyes were burning holes into his skull. His grin was never-ending, and his arm that was pressing Jeremy firmly against him felt unnatural; like the older man had to force himself to do it instead of doing something worse to the nosy teenager.

So, against Jeremy's better judgement, he slowly nodded, and he gathered the materials the moment Dave let go of him. They made their way back to the main room, setting up balloons and other things that would make any child squeal with joy; but Jeremy couldn't get rid of the burning sensation in his nose, and the feeling of being watched.


End file.
